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View from Hickory Heights: Baking a tradition

I have always made Christmas cookies. First, at home with my grandmother, then in my apartment. By the time I had my own apartment, my grandmother no longer made cookies. I would make a batch then send some to them to enjoy.

Once I was married and had my own kitchen in the trailer, I again made cookies. The children loved to help. I would put some chairs by my table and let them help. What they liked the best was licking the bowl and the beaters.

My love of cookies came long before. My best friend’s mother made delicious cookies. I asked if she would give out her recipes. She dug them out and let me copy them. She had a very old-fashioned cookie press. It was older than my grandmother’s. I tried my new recipe at home and it worked in grandma’s press. I now have grandma’s cookie press in my pantry. I also have many of my grandmother’s cookie cutters.

The other kind of cookies that my friend’s mother made was an Italian chocolate cookie that you rolled in balls and baked. After they were baked you dipped them in frosting. It was a big recipe. I later found a recipe in the newspaper that was a lot easier. Now I usually use that one. It is smaller. I as usual have tweaked it a bit. My friend’s mother put some fruit jam in hers. That kept them moist. I still do that so that my cookies remain moist as well.

As for my cutouts I have two different recipes. One of them belonged to my grandmother. Hers were always soft and puffy. Last year the only thing I made was the cutouts. It just is not Christmas without cutouts. I used grandma’s recipe because Don liked them best. He preferred the soft sugary type.

My grandson and his girlfriend came to help me frost and decorate them. We spent the afternoon together and it was fun. When my granddaughter got home, of course, she wanted to make cutouts. We have made cutouts here as long as she can remember.

One year we made some to enter in the fair. I was surprised when I realized that she could really do them on her own. I think she was about seven at the time. She had observed and learned.

We dug out the other cutout recipe and proceeded. This time she and her boyfriend helped me frost and decorate them. Her mother was around to help as well. Making cookies is in our genes. My grandmother was an excellent baker, but not such a good cook. I did not inherit that ability from her or my mother. That I perfected that on my own.

This year I am well ahead on my cookies because I have some people that I want to bake for. I have made the chocolate ones and some fruit bars that I know my grandson will like. I also made grandma’s Ice Box Cookies. That is a really old recipe since they were cooled in an ice box!

Now I know people look for the recipes so intend to share at least some of them. Here goes!

“Italian” Chocolate Cookies

1 pkg. devil’s food cake mix

2 c. flour

2 eggs

¢ c. water

¢ c. oil

1 jar fruit preserves – just a small jar will do

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 ¢ tsp. ground cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I used my stand mixing bowl. Roll into balls about the size of a walnut. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 – 10 min. Let cool. Make a thin frosting with powdered sugar and milk. Dip the cookies and allow to set. Store in airtight container.

Ice Box Cookies

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

1 ¢ c. melted butter or margarine

3 eggs

1 tsp. each soda and cinnamon

¢ tsp. salt

1 c. chopped nuts

4 c. flour

This is a large recipe. This year I cut it in half. If you do this still use 1 tsp. soda but half all of the other ingredients. It seems that today the eggs are smaller so two work. Pack in a pan in rolls — I put wax paper around to separate them.

If the dough is too sticky add a little more flour. Set overnight in refrigerator. Slice and bake at 350 degrees.

I bake on the bottom shelf, then move them up until they have a little brown on them. (5 min. on bottom, 3 or 4 on top)

I have many more cookie recipes that I can ever use. Each year I try to pick different ones, but I always make the cutouts!

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.

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